'Almost overnight all the institutions of authority collapsed⦠so that the only real power in the country passed into the hands of the local revolutionary committees.' (Figes, Natasha's Dance, Penguin edition p.436) Analyse to what extent this comment reflects the move to Bolshevism/Communism in Russia from 1917. Evaluate to what extent Stalin's rule of the Soviet Union reflected revolutionary committee power?
The collapse of authority in Russia forced a rapid movement to Bolshevism in Russia in 1917. This showed how weak the Duma was and how influential the revolutionaries were. The popularity of Bolshevism in Russia was massively important as it motivated the people in Russia to ignite the revolution as they knew that change was required in order to gain credibility for Russia and become a world power and to develop like the other European countries had so that the proletariats could have a better life. The Bolshevik slogan 'Peace, Bread and Land' gave the Russians belief in the Bolsheviks as all this was needed so that the country could progress.
Bolshevik by Boris Kustodiev, a visual representat...
English: The presidium of the 9th Congress of the ...
LeninThe Bolsheviks had interpreted Marxism in their own way and believed that capitalism did not need to be achieved before a communist state could form. After Lenin died, and Stalin took over as leader of the Bolsheviks, his use of power was different to that of Lenin's. He became a dictator, and the use of committees such as congress, were used less and less. Democracy had completely disappeared, and by the end of his rule he was acting more as a Tsar than as a communist leader.
The following essay will analyse the aspects of Bolshevism which made it so popular and how their interpretation of Marxism helped to move Russia towards communism. It will consider how the dictatorial rule which Stalin led in the Soviet Union...